peaches and perspectives

yesterday i turned twenty-four. a precarious age. i suppose our mid-twenties are incredibly formative years, as my closest cousin reminded me yesterday. but transitions are not always easy, and life is far from simplistic. and even though growth is valuable and necessary, it is rarely comfortable. so we put ourselves out on a limb - dangling like a ripe peach, where at any moment we risk falling off and getting bruised by the reality of the hard ground bellow, yet we are unable to stop growing and maturing. this week i experienced my longest fall, leaving me bruised and rather shocked that i am no longer on the branch that had supported me up until this point. but already, i can see how necessary that fall may have been for my own growth. here, bellow the branch, i have a different perspective on life, my relationship and myself. but the bruises still hurt, and i am so grateful to have wonderful friends and family to scoop me up and care for me. 

appreciation for my sister and her boyfriend who surprised me with a delicious birthday dinner of quinoa sushi rolls and ginger peach crumble. ripe peaches. and for my cousin who reminded me that growing and falling is all a part of being young and human. i couldn't have asked for better company for my birthday. 

gratitude also for the friends who have encouraged me to continue to care for myself. reminding me that giving and giving will only deplete me and that i must continue to nurture myself - both physically and mentally - throughout transformative times. to get outside, play, exercise, eat well, indulge, and to surround myself with things and people i love, of which when i stop and look, i have many.

so twenty-four may not have been the happiest of birthdays, but it will surely be a year of personal growth. and to that, i can happily clink a glass and say "cheers."

looking at other perspectives; enjoying a macaroon and espresso from oddfellows cafe; playing with my dog.